RESULTS OF CASTRATION i5 



Theoretical. 



The different observations referred to above on the results 

 of castration in man are discussed here from a more general 

 point of view. 



There can be no doubt that the formation of the morpho- 

 logical, physiological, and psychical characters of man depends 

 on the sexual glands. There may be di,fferent opinions as to the 

 extent of this dependence, and one cannot deny that the data 

 relating to the results of castration are sometimes very un- 

 certain, but on the other hand we are absolutely certain that 

 this dependence exists. 



Basing his position on clinical observations, Blair Bell (1920, 

 p. 152), takes the view that "the gonads . . . especially in the 

 absence of active genital cells may be described as more or 

 less indifferent organs in the matter of sex-characterisation." 

 A similar view was recently expressed by Robert Meyer (1921), 

 who declares that "for the development of secondary female 

 characters, both physical and psychical, ovaries are not 

 necessary " ; this statement of Meyer is based on observations 

 on pseudo-hermaphrodite individuals. We shall discuss this 

 question more fully in Chapter IX. Here it may be said that 

 in any discussion experimental evidence must take the first place, 

 because the conditions of experiment are more or less known 

 to us, whereas in clinical cases the conditions are unknown. 



We have seen that the sexual glands influence not only the 

 genital organs, but also sexual characters which have nothing 

 to do with the sexual function, such as the growth of the hair, 

 the accumulation of fat, and the proportions of the body. 



If castration is done at a time when sexual characters are 

 already fully developed, the results of castration are not so 

 marked as after prepuberal castration. But the influence 

 of the sexual glands on the sexual characters may be observed 

 even when castration is done very late. We see that the 

 sexual gland does not only influence the development of the 

 sexual characters by initiating and stimulating their growth 

 but also by keeping them in a state of maximal development. 



Taking into consideration the changes in some of the measure- 

 ments of the skeleton, the accumulation of fat and the high 

 voice in the prepuberally castrated man, and on the other 

 hand the beard as one of the marked signs of the woman after 



